by anna snow
Silas must have noticed my discomfort. He got up and moved around the table where he took a seat on the stool beside Kelly. Silas reached over and rubbed a comforting hand along her arm. I could tell he wanted to do more, pull her into his arms, but he held back. Now wasn't the time to let her know how he felt about her.
"Barb and I spent the entire day talking to some of the members of Mark's band," he said softly.
She turned to look at him. "Did you learn anything?"
He nodded. "Kel, do you know a woman named Melody Thompson?"
She shook her head. "No, but let me guess," she said with a hint of anger in her voice. "She and Mark were messing around?"
Silas's face turned stony at her words, and he looked down and blew out a breath.
"I'm sorry, but yes." I drew her attention back to me.
I looked at Mandy and Mona then back to Kelly and nodded. "How did you know?"
She gave a humorless laugh. "Mark could never be just friends with a woman. If they wore panties, he was in them. It didn't matter if I was waiting for him at home or not."
"Why'd you stay with him?" Silas asked. "He was horrible to you. You deserve so much better than him."
Kelly shrugged. "He was…our relationship was…comfortable," she said. "We had been together for so long that we just kind of fell into a comfortable hole and never crawled out."
I had the fleeting worry that one day Tyler and I would land in that comfortable hole Kelly described but shook the worry aside. There was never a dull moment with Tyler, and our relationship was nothing like Kelly and Mark's. Tyler had morals and a good heart. He was loyal. Besides, it was too early to be thinking about forever with Tyler…wasn't it?
"Do you think she killed Mark?" Kelly wiped a small tear from her eye.
"I don't know," I said honestly. "But from what Henry said, the band's drummer," I clarified for Mona, and she nodded her head with understanding. "This Melody person was basically obsessed with Mark. He said she was almost at stalker status. I think she is someone we definitely need to check into."
"Speaking of Henry," Mandy spoke up. "I called around right after I talked to Silas and checked Henry's alibi. He's telling the truth. A reporter named Misty Rhodes did in fact interview him at the time of the murder and said she'd seen him around the club in the following hours until she left."
"Well, that cuts Henry from our list," I said.
"If this woman you mentioned really was that obsessed with Mark, then she sounds like the most likely candidate to have murdered him and framed Kelly for it," Mona agreed.
"I'll start gathering information on her," Mandy recapped her tea and set it on the countertop. "I'll have everything you need first thing in the morning unless you need it right now?"
"No, in the morning is just fine. It's getting late and—" The ringing of my phone interrupted me. I pulled the phone from my purse and checked the display.
Tyler.
"Just a sec," I said to everyone and went to the other room.
"Hey, how's it going?"
"Not so good," Tyler said with a weary tone. "Something on a past case has come up, and I have to check it out. I can't make it to your place tonight. I'm sorry, babe."
"It's okay," I tried to hide my disappointment. I was majorly bummed that I wouldn't be spending the rest of my night snuggled up to Tyler, watching cheesy horror flicks, but his job was important. "Do you want to reschedule for tomorrow night?"
"Absolutely, baby doll," he said.
I could hear the grin in his voice, and the lousy situation I found myself in…it brought on a smile of my own.
"I'll call you in the morning. Sweet dreams."
I smiled. "Sweet dreams." I ended the call and slid the phone back into my pocket then rejoined the others in the kitchen.
"Tyler working late?" Mona asked.
I nodded. "It's okay," I lied. "I'm bushed anyway." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I'll swing by your place first thing in the morning, get the information you've gathered on Melody, and go from there," I said to Mandy. "Kelly looks ready to drop, and I'm exhausted. I'm going to call it a day."
I looped my purse strap over my shoulder.
Mona and Mandy stood and followed my lead. "We need to get going, too. I have a lot to do before the morning," Mandy said.
"And I plan on being here when the sun comes up to get back to snooping on the band's Facebook profiles. So far, it looks like everyone is in town, but that could change. You know those rock star types. Oh, and I'll bring cookies," Mona said with a smile and kissed Kelly on the cheek. "You get some rest. Everything is going to be just fine."
Mandy and Mona made their leave. I tossed my empty bottle in the recycling bin. When I turned back around, Kelly surprised me with a tight hug. "Thank you, Barb. Thank you for all that you're doing for me."
I heard her sniffle against my shoulder, and a shot of anger ripped through me. I'd known Kelly for a long time. She was strong. She was a fighter. Not a crier. This entire situation was taking its toll on her. If Mark wasn't dead already, I'd be the one sitting in the slammer for what he was doing to my best friend.
"I'm going to get you out of this. I don't care what it takes," I promised her. "I won't stop until this is finished."
She stepped back and smiled sadly at me. "I know you'll try. I'm exhausted. I'm going to go to bed."
Silas and I watched Kelly trudge down the hallway and close the guest bedroom door behind her.
"We have to find out who really killed Mark and why, and we need to do it fast. No matter what it takes. No matter what the cost."
"We will," Silas said, and I heard the determination in his voice.
It matched my own.
CHAPTER SIX
The next morning came way too soon.
I was in the middle of a lovely dream in which Tyler and I were somewhere on a beach with umbrella drinks in our hands, cabana boys fanning us with those big palm leaves, and the ocean waves tickling our toes. In other words, we were in paradise.
Then the stupid alarm and reality decided to ruin it all.
I sat up, swung my legs over the side of the bed, and stayed there like a lump, trying to shake the fog of sleep from my head.
After I made it back to my place last night, I followed my usual evening routine of dodging a snarky look from Mr. Kasmire and Buster as I walked up my driveway. Mickey was waiting in the window for my arrival, so I picked him up, gave him fresh food and water then took a quick shower, and collapsed into bed. The next thing I knew my alarm was blaring, and the sun was shining through my curtains. Mickey hopped onto my lap and started meowing his displeasure of being woken up so early. I couldn't say that I blamed him. I'd have given almost anything to be able to just pull the blankets over my head and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, reality was a pesky little thing that refused to go away.
"I feel your pain, little guy," I said and patted the furry little buggar then set him aside and stood up.
My mouth felt like I'd swallowed a ball of cotton, so I trudged to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and rinsed. My hair was a knotted mess. I grabbed a brush and hot-pink hair tie, tossed it up into a fluffy ponytail, and then put a touch of mascara on my eyelashes and a thin layer of lip-gloss on my lips in an attempt to make myself presentable.
Mickey watched with disinterest as I pulled on a pair of old jeans and a billowy dark purple spaghetti-strap top and matching Converse tennis shoes.
This job wasn't even at the halfway mark, and I was already mentally exhausted. "I guess that's what happens when your bestie is about to be charged with murder, and you're her only shot at freedom. This is going to be a seriously long day, especially if the other members of the band are anything like sleazy Henry," I said to Mickey.
I made the short journey down the hallway to the kitchen, Mickey tailing along behind me. The Keurig machine was calling my name. A vanilla iced coffee with extra cream and a shot of espresso added was just what the doctor ordered.
I
checked Mickey's food and water dishes then leaned my bum back against the edge of the counter and waited for the coffee to be ready.
I wanted to get as much done as I possibly could before the end of the day, starting with hunting down Melody the Groupie then the two remaining members of the band I'd yet to question.
The coffeemaker beeped, and I removed my purple travel mug adorned with pink sparkly owls (a gift from the ever-girly Mandy), filled the cup, and snapped the cap into place.
Mona had been right the night before when she said that Melody was most likely our prime suspect. If she was as obsessed with Mark as Henry and Jamie had said she was, she had the perfect motive to kill Mark and frame Kelly for his murder. A lover scorned wasn't too farfetched of an idea. I'd dealt with this scenario before.
The faint sound of my phone chiming echoed down the hallway. I stepped out of the kitchen and back into the bedroom, grabbed the phone off the nightstand, and checked the display screen.
I'll be there in five —Silas
I fired off a quick see you soon message and set the phone on the table. Silas was an early bird, so I wasn't surprised in the least that he was already on his way to my place at barely seven o'clock in the morning. Not to mention, I suspected his eagerness to clear Kelly's name might just have been because he was a little bit in love with her.
I didn't have any solid evidence to support my theory, like a confession or catching them in the coat closet or anything like that, but I wasn't blind. Anyone could have seen how he looked at her. Have heard how he talked to her. Silas's previous career choice wasn't really conducive to a steady, monogamous relationship, but since getting out of the escort business and saving more than enough money to fund his new art career, he was on steady footing where dipping his toes into a real relationship was concerned. And Kelly needed someone who would treat her like the amazing woman she was. And I believed Silas was precisely the person to do just that. I only wished she'd left Mark and maybe considered Silas before someone decided to off Mark and frame her for it.
I prepared Silas a to-go cup of coffee—a pink to-go cup because I'm sassy like that—grabbed my phone off the table, and carried all three items to the living room where I set them on the coffee table and dropped the phone into my purse. I picked up the coffees again and headed toward the door. Once there, I juggled the coffees and set the alarm then stepped out onto the front porch. I'd just closed the door behind me when Silas pulled up in his black Mercedes.
He rolled down the passenger side window.
"Need some help?" he asked as he leaned over the center console and opened the car door from the inside. I slid in and handed him his coffee then situated myself and buckled my seat belt.
Silas took a drink of his coffee and smiled. "Thanks for the coffee. It's really good," he said then put it in the cup holder and pulled away from the curb. "And just so you know, the pink mug is super cute." He winked at me in his usual saucy way.
"You're welcome," I said and shook my head. Sometimes I envied Silas's ability to be so carefree and easy going.
"So, what's on the agenda for today, boss?" he asked in his usual playful manner as we left the quiet neighborhood and pulled out into traffic.
"Well, first we need to get the information Mandy gathered on Melody and check her out. If what Henry said is true about how hung up on Mark she was, and if he wouldn't leave Kelly for her, then she has the best motive for killing him that we know of. After that, I'd like to track down and question the two other members of the band and see if they have solid alibis."
Silas nodded and changed lanes. "Sounds good to me. Have you heard anything from Tyler?"
"Not since last night, but we're supposed to meet at my place this evening. I'm sure if he's found anything that could help Kelly he'll let me know before then."
We pulled into Mandy's driveway a few minutes later and parked behind Mona's little black Honda Civic. She was going through a Fast and Furious phase at the moment.
"Looks like Mona spent the night," Silas laughed.
"Yeah," I said with a shake of my head. "They probably got cookie-and-wine wasted while doing research."
The four of us ladies had crashed at each other's houses after a night of research, wine, and baked goods on several different occasions. Finding that one of us had spent the night at another's place wasn't at all a rarity.
We made our way up the smooth concrete driveway. I smiled as I stepped over a sidewalk drawing of a green and blue racecar that one of Mandy's little nephews must have drawn for her. She always took pictures of their artwork then printed and hung them in her house somewhere. She was the quintessential doting auntie, and with nine nephews all under the age of eight, she was one busy auntie, to say the least.
Before I could knock, Mandy hauled opened the door with a smile.
"Come on in. There're some donuts in the kitchen. Mona made them from scratch last night."
She barely had the word donuts out of her mouth before I was already hurrying to the kitchen with my coffee in hand. Mona must've heard me coming because before I even stepped foot in the kitchen, she had already set a plate with a maple donut on the table.
"Hi, darlin'," she said and pecked me on the cheek. "Have a seat, and eat your donut, and then we'll all talk shop. Silas, are you hungry, hon?"
While Mona fixed Silas up with some breakfast, he took a seat beside me. Mandy came in a moment later with a paper in hand and took a seat across the table from me.
"It only took me a couple of hours to get the information you needed on your mystery groupie, Melody Thompson," she began and handed me the paper. "According to public records, she lives in a small neighborhood in Irving, not too far from one of the band members from the looks of it. She works as a nail tech at Pretty Ladies Day Spa, which is also in Irving."
"Irving is only about a twenty-minute drive from Mark's place," Mona said. "She would've had plenty of time to get to his apartment, kill him, and then hurry home," Mona said.
"Yes," I agreed. "But we can't really speculate until we talk to her. I agree that she had the motive to kill him, but whether or not she has an alibi is what we need to figure out first."
"True," Mona agreed and sipped her coffee.
I smiled over at Silas. "Feel like getting a pedicure?"
Silas pulled a face. "Do I look like the kind of guy that gets pedicures?"
"Yes," Mona, Mandy, and I said in unison.
"Fair enough." He conceded with a chuckle. "Let's hit the road."
I put my empty plate in the sink and grabbed my coffee. "I'll call to check in after a little while."
"Do you need me to do anything?" Mandy asked.
"See if you can help Mona find out if the remaining members of Mark's band are in town. I know I have their addresses, but I'd hate to make the drive and find that they're not there. Time is of the essence."
"No problem, boss." Mandy headed down the hallway, and I knew she was going after her laptop.
"You two be careful out there. I'm going to let Mandy take over the research and head over to spend the day with Kelly. I wasn't getting anywhere, and I'm sure Kelly could use the company right about now," Mona said and followed us to the door.
"I think you're right," I agreed with her. "Tell her I'll stop by later today."
"Of course." Mona smiled. "Now get out there, and catch our killer."
Silas and I left Mandy's place and got into his car.
Traffic was surprisingly light, and we made the drive to the spa in less than twenty minutes. We pulled into the parking lot in front of a mini shopping square outside a building that might have at one time been sky blue but was now dingy and more of a tan-blue color due to the paint peeling in places. The front windows boasted their weekly specials in brightly painted letters and numbers, and the sign over the main door flashed the yellow-neon words Pretty Ladies Day Spa.
It was more strip-clubesque than nail salon.
"Is it just me, or does this place look a little shad
y?" Silas asked quietly and released his seat belt.
I looked around at the grimy buildings and stray newspapers on the sidewalk then to the small group of people standing at the corner of the building and nodded. "Yeah, maybe just a little."
The group of guys on the corner gave us the side eye when we stepped out of the car, and Silas hit the button on his keys to arm his car alarm. I glanced over at him, and he shrugged.
A bell jingled above the door when we stepped into the nail salon. The bright overhead lights illuminated the work area below. There were a dozen chairs, six aligned along both side walls. Only three had people in them. Towards the back were a beaded curtain and a sign overhead that read Tanning and Esthetics. Spray tans available.
Silas elbowed me gently. "Want to get a spray tan? You were just saying the other day that you're too pale."
I could tell by his tone that he was teasing. I was painfully aware of my pasty, white skin, but that didn't mean I was willing to strip down for a complete stranger to spray me with some orange chemical. I'd had a bad spray tan once before, and for the next two weeks I'd walked around looking like one of Willy Wonka's long lost Oompa-Loompas. Fortunately, Aunt Mona had an esthetician friend who'd been able to get my skin back to a somewhat normal tan color.
"No thanks. If I wanted to look like I rolled about in a bag of Cheetos, I'd do just that."
"Kinky." Silas winked at me.
I didn't even try to fight the urge to groan out loud.
A tall, thin woman of Asian origin approached us with a wide smile, long black hair, and said, "Hi. Welcome to Pretty Ladies. I'm Ling. How can I help you today? A couple's massage, perhaps?" She smiled prettily at Silas, while barely casting me a second glance.
Silas wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his side. "My lady and I would like pedicures, please," he said with his usual measure of charm.
I gave him a shady look, hoping he'd feel my irritation.
"Of course," she said sweetly. "Right this way."
"What are you doing? We're just here to talk to Melody. I was joking about the pedicures back at Mandy's," I whispered between clenched teeth.
